I didn’t add the Cubs to the “I Hate” banner on the site here, because since I used to work there, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Cubs win. Their fans, on the other hand, are spoiled brats for the most part, who don’t know baseball, and look at any win streak as the end of the 100 year championship draught.
The hype has already begun here. At work, I sit next to a bunch of Cub fans who have enjoyed telling me every day that this is the Cubs’ year. Before yesterday, the team was off to its best April in franchise history 17-11, after pummeling the Brewers 19-5. The Cubs have scored the most runs in baseball, they say; the pitching staff has a combined ERA under 4. However, n one wanted to hear the fact that 28 games is only 17.3% of the regular season. There are still months of baseball to play, including the dog days of day baseball in August heat. And these guys are already starting to print the World Series tickets.
And the mainstream media has gone along for the ride. It’s one thing for the Chicago Tribune to laud the Cubs, since they have the same ownership, but even Sports Illustrated has leapt onto the bandwagon. The current issue features early season phenom outfielder from Japan Kosuke Fukudome with the headline: “It’s Gonna Happen.” Now, “IT” is the biggest small word in the English language: in this instance, does it mean that the Cubs are going to win a World Series championship; or is it that they will collapse as they have done all too frequently? This does not take into account the “SI jinx;” teams that are on the cover of SI don’t usually go on to win anything.
Again, let me remind you that, besides having watched some part of 100 years of bad baseball and wallowing in the attention that used to be shared with the Red Sox Nation, Cubs fans have deep problems. It was just two weeks ago, after some morons in the bleachers threw 17 baseballs on the field after a home run that Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman called Cub fans “far and away the most obnoxious in baseball,” and that he actively rooted again the team. Wrigley Field is the world’s largest singles bar and family picnic area. Pete Rose once said that people in Cincinnati came to the ballpark to see the Reds win; people in Chicago come to see the Cubs play.
Then reality set in. Yesterday, with the Cubs leading 3-1 heading into the ninth inning and Kerry “Bonehead” Wood on the mound, the wheels came off. Wood hit the first batter with a pitch; then Gabe Kapler’s lazy fly ball sailed over Alfonso Soriano’s head for a double. A single, a walk and a double by Ryan Braun and suddenly, the two-run lead was now a 4-3 deficit. The Cubs went down weakly in the bottom of the frame, and manager Lou Pinella was cursing up a storm in the press conference after the game. It just goes to show that the Cubs will be the Cubs: beating themselves if someone hasn’t already beaten them. (I still have an over-under of August 1 for Pinella, who has won in Cincinnati, Seattle and the Yankees, blowing a gasket watching Cub baseball and developing a brain aneurism.) And the Cubs go into Busch Stadium tonight ot begin a weekend series with the hated Cardinals (and it’s still too early to proclaim this a “big series” because there are lots of games left to play between the two teams).
It would be a good thing for the city for the Cubs to win something, and they are beyond due. The Red Sox ended an 86 year draught four years ago (and followed it up by winning the World Series a second time last fall). My beloved White Sox ended 88 years of futility just one year after the Red Sox won their championship. But let’s wait until October before we start printing the Cub championship t-shirts, OK?

I guess there won’t be a riot at the Sly and the Family Stone show on Saturday. The concert has already been cancelled due to “illness.” So, if you had tickets to the show, have your own riot on Saturday wherever you live.

I admit it; I play the lottery. Not every day, mind you, just when the “Mega Millions” jackpot is sufficiently high that I will never have to work ever again. Anything where the after-tax winnings will be more than $20 million is when I play (or as a former coworker used to put it, when the winning reach “fuck you money,” meaning that you can tell everyone, well, fuck you, especially employers). As a man married to an actuary, I also understand all too well that the odds are against me. Billions-, maybe even trillions-to-one; but people do win, and lightning does strike.
But this rant is toward folks who make much less than I, are predominantly African-American who play the dozen of smaller games. First of all, I understand that the odds are better, but so is the payoff. But I’m not here to rant about the unfairness and irrational actions of gamblers.
What pisses me off are the people who have 50 different combinations and numbers and hog the machines. I always get behind the woman who wants “2678 box, and 3746 50/50” (whatever this stuff means) and goes through a litany of numeric patterns and combinations that would make a computer at NORAD wince. And it takes 20 minutes for the convenience store employee to enter in all of these numbers; meanwhile, those of us with one purchase to make are stuck behind these people.
My advice: either these people need the phone number to Gamblers Anonimous; up their ambition (why gamble for peanuts instead of big money that would allow you to retire immediately); or best yet, give them their own terminals in their homes. That way, they can enter in as many numbers in as many combinations as they would like, and leave the “less obsessed” players like myself to get in and out of the store in a hurry.

Occasionally, we get a comment that it so stupid, so ignorant, that it BEGS to be answered, but since I was away, my friend, Tom Watson had his righteous indignation inflamed and he responded. But first, the ignorant analogy…

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth.
She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.
One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school.
Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn’t even have time for a boyfriend, and didn’t really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.
Her father listened and then asked, ‘How is your friend Audrey doing?’ She replied, ‘Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She’s always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn’t even show up for classes because she’s too hung over.’
Her wise father asked his daughter, ‘Why don’t you go to the Dean’s office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.’
The daughter, visibly shocked by her father’s suggestion, angrily fired back, ‘That’s a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I’ve worked really hard for my grades! I’ve invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!’
The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, ‘Welcome to the Republican party.’ If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Republican and Democrat I’m all ears. (No brains, but all ears – T.)

And here is Mr. Watson’s comment:
You have to be kidding? After the last 8 years?
The two largest deficits in history were rung up under Republicans: Reagan and W. Because they cut taxes and increased spending. The idea that Democrats raise taxes and spend is so wrong. Bill Clinton cut spending and balanced the budget in a bipartisan effort. This compares to W who vetoes everything the Democratic Congress does. Say what you want about Clinton and blow jobs, he certainly worked better with a Republican Congress (as did Reagan with a Democratic one, to be fair) than W.
The average salary for the middle class, in 2007 dollars, has been flat for 20 years. Since income has shifted from wage to capital during this time, the income distribution in the country has reached a point not seen since the gilded age of the turn of the 20th century. We are entering a dangerous period of time where population growth among the poor is increasing compared to the non-poor, at a time when income distribution is going in the opposite direction. With a shrinking middle-class, we are approaching South American proportions of income distribution. Ever been to South America? You can’t even send a letter without the contents being stolen if valuable.
We also have the lowest taxes in the western world. (see attached chart US Govt. Revenues as a % of GDP. This and more is available from the government. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy01/guide02.html).
I personally resent the implication in this email that poor people are lazy. My Dad made $12,000 dollars a year as a janitor and worked harder than you or I every day of his life. He had a good job on the Railroad at first, but was injured on the job and didn’t get enough workers’ compensation to keep him above poverty the rest of his life, despite the janitor’s job, and his night job as a deliveryman, two jobs he kept most of my life. He died with no money to bury him. Your Dad was an Iron worker and I am sure has a similar, if somewhat less Dickensian, story. What about the millions of people who work 40, 50, 60 hours a week at low end jobs, with little or no benefits? Are they all lazy? Did they all party their chances away? What about the millions of white collar workers who went to college, and also had their jobs downsized, lost their homes, have no health care, etc? The #1 cause of bankruptcy in this country is due to health care costs, not unemployment. Most in the country are just one unlucky break away from losing everything. The attack on the poor as victims of their own making is getting old. Yes there are stupid and lazy people who end up poor; as surely as there are stupid and lazy people who end up owning Daddy’s distributorship or become President. But the lion share of poor people are those who grew up incredibly disadvantaged, with no role models; or got sick; or lost there job and are unemployed or underemployed.
The Federal budget is essentially comprised of 78% Military spending and Medicare/Social Security, and 11% Interest on the Debt, mostly created by the two aforementioned Republicans. The discretionary part of the spending is 11%, so we are essentially fighting over whether that 11% goes back to the people in tax breaks, I assume disproportionately to wealthier Americans because they paid a disproportionate part of the taxes collected, or goes to fund government programs. 11% seems a small price to pay for social justice if you are liberal, or protection from murderous hordes of the dispossessed if you are worried about your own skin.
If we are arguing that we need to cut Military spending, I am with you. If you think we have to cut Medicare and Social Security than I have a big disagreement there. Before the enactment of this, the greatest piece of social legislation ever, the largest % of poor people in this country were the elderly. This legislation changed that. We can argue that maybe there should be a means test so that wealthy Americans don’t get it, or that the retirement age has to move up as life expectancy does, etc. but elimination or reduction of it would cause massive poverty among the elderly, especially as more and more companies switch from a defined retirement benefit to defined contribution. In addition, the % of revenue coming from these payroll taxes has actually been increasing vs. income taxes as we lower income taxes and maintain payroll taxes, and essentially these programs have a surplus, unlike the rest of the government. I agree that payroll taxes are regressive and that the poor and lower middle class pay more payroll taxes than they pay income taxes, so that perhaps a lowering of payroll taxes at the lower end of income and an increase in the maximum income where payroll taxes stop might help this, but arguing that this entitlement does not fund itself is wrong. In addition, we are the only country in the western world that funds additional retirement over and above these entitlements by private vs. government means. This has created a non-competitive situation for our steel, auto and other industries that fund this, and a situation where our small businesses can’t even afford to think about it. Is every other member of the G8 wrong to do so?
We rank at the bottom of the G8 in overall Health, as determined by the World Health Organization, despite ranking first in health outlays per capita. If you think Medicare is the issue, think again. The % of costs of Medicare spent on administration vs. care for Medicare is tiny compare to same at the big HMOs. This isn’t inefficient government; they spend none of the money on profit taking (there is a 12-15% efficiency there), and spend none of their admin money trying to deny care, since they can’t. A single payer system is efficient. We need to spend more money on prenatal care, preventative care, alternative medicine, wellness and nutrition, etc. With your wife’s background I know you know this. We shouldn’t have 40 million uninsured people in this country, postponing care which eventually has to be done at higher costs because the issues have grown, or having their routine care done at the most expensive place, the emergency room. We shouldn’t have the highest infant mortality of the G8 either. We need to fix this; the free market approach hasn’t worked, based on the data.
Finally, if we are worrying about the remaining discretionary 11% than I am truly disappointed. As a nation we give less as a % of our GDP to aid/charity than any of the G8. We are not generous, despite what people may think. The private sector isn’t going to help the dispossessed.
We have a school system that is under funded in some geographies and over funded in others. I realize that some of our issues have to do with parental involvement and an intractable teachers union, but funding charter or private schools and enabling more choice just sends more money to wealthy communities and less to poorer ones. The cuts in the budget for No Child Left Behind, because we spend too much money on the Military, at the same time as we have cut taxes, have gutted it. We all have a stake in the education of the poorest, because they will be funding our social security, and will be the people we hire in the future. Part of the stupid in the ‘stupid and lazy’ starts here. Are the 5 year olds already stupid and lazy? Or should they be punished because their parents are stupid and lazy? We cut Head Start. So our budget problems are so large, and the upper class tax burden so large, that we need to take breakfast away from poor children at school? Growing up I actually had nights where we didn’t eat dinner, and throughout my grammar school education got free lunches from the government, so I am thankful that these programs existed for me, and would like them to exist for others. Part of the stupid comes from malnourishment too. We have also cut aid to college students, so my story, where a poor child gets a free scholarship to the best High School in the country, followed by a private college education that had enough aid given that I attended on loans of only $30,000, is impossible today. Northwestern is now $50,000 a year. This is also have we can legally discriminate against the poor; we only hire the private school graduates to the big Wall Street jobs. We aren’t discriminating against the state schoolers; they just aren’t as bright (or is that they aren’t as rich?)
We have infrastructure needs as the nation’s highways and bridges crumble with age, the National Park budget is cut, etc. We could fund this with excise and use taxes like tolls and fees and gas taxes, but that is also regressive, as the poor end up paying more as a % of their income then the more fortunate (some of the lazy has to do with the costs of gas and tolls, childcare, etc).
We have compliance needs that have been gutted (as the EPA and USDA budgets get cut, and the other regulatory bodies are staffed with industry lobbyists and political appointees). We all have a stake in the health of our food , water, and air and need to fund this. The private sector won’t regulate itself, just look at what unbridled Chinese capitalism does to the food and toys they send us!
I realize that some of the discretionary spending is bs; various constituencies getting their “bridges to nowhere”. But some of it is the difference between life and death for the most unfortunate. You must realize that in politics, we paint all government as wasteful, and all black people as Willie Horton, and all Liberals as elitist, so we can win the argument. Don’t believe it.
I took the time to respond to this because I love you like a brother, and know you are both well intentioned and thoughtful. You have an influence over people that is a gift that you have parlayed into a nice career (and you are smart and work hard, so I realize that your success is of your own making too). Use this gift to unite people, and make the lives of others better, not to divide people. The only hope for this country is for all of us to educate people on what is really happening, because most are too distracted, tired, or cynical to seek the facts. The country is being bought and paid for by the top 1% of income in this country, and no one will wake up before it is too late.
I used to think John McCain was an honest man, and a maverick, when he said the Bush tax cuts offended him, the Club for Growth (a very influential Republican economic organization) was the “Club for Greed”, and that Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority were agents of intolerance, as was the Confederate flag on the SC Capital. And maybe he still believes this, and is just lying to get elected (he is now for the tax cuts being renewed; went to Liberty University to give a speech; and now thinks the SC flag issue is a states rights issue (so was Civil Rights to many in the South in the 50s and 60s)), but I don’t know what to think.
I do know that the real people behind the Republican party: the Club for Growth and Americans for Tax Reform, who want to eliminate Social Security and Medicare; the neocons who think we have a right to pre-emptive war and that we can make our own reality and can go it alone without listening to the international community, and think we should get out of the UN; the Moral Majority, who think they can impose their religious views that I don’t believe on me legally, while disrupting the funding of birth control (see stupid and lazy people above who shouldn’t use condoms either) and stem cell research; and the Karl Rove’s of the party, who divide people on wedge social issues and race to get elected (the modern Republican Party’s Southern Strategy was created by Nixon after the Civil Rights movement. He attracted southern white male’s who traditionally voted for the Democrats by appealing to their racial fears at this Brave New World; Reagan continued it with his first campaign speech when he was running, in Philadelphia, MS, site of the murder of 4 Civil Rights workers years before. He gave a speech on States Rights!; it continued with W’s father’s Willie Horton ads; and continues today with allegations that Obama is Muslim, constant reference to his middle name Hussein, and the constant running of a 30 second clip of Jeremiah Wright, taken from a long speech on of all things tolerance, where the inflammatory comments of “God Damn America” were actually him quoting someone else (you can listen to the entire speech on You tube); these people do not believe in an America that I know or love.

Speaking of music concerts, the reclusive Sly Stone is scheduled to lead a revised Family Stone at the Vic Theater this Saturday. I say scheduled because Sly has a long reputation for not showing up for concerts. Locally, I remember when Sly cancelled a concert in Grant Park in 1970 that started a huge riot with arrests and lots of people arrested. So, I have to admit that, for old time’s sake, it would be completely appropriate if Sly cancels again and the crowd riots. Of course, since the crowd will probably average older than I am, so the wildest it might get is people throwing bottles of Geritol and Metamucil at the stage…

As you can see, it’s been a few days since I put anything down, but it was for a good cause: the family and I spent the weekend in New Orleans at the 39th Annual Jazz and Heritage Festival, and it was quite a time, with lots of rubbing elbows with great musicians.
First came the flight down. We get on the plane and I notice an older African-American gentleman get on the plane. He is wearing a beret and a white leather jacket with Indian markings on it and frills hanging off the bottom and the sleeves. He looked familiar, but it was early in the morning and I was too busy just trying to settle in for the flight. Well, when we get off, and we’re headed for the taxi stand, The Indignant Wife sees the man again. By this time, I’ve put the face with the name, and prodded by TIW, I went over and met Bernie Worrell. Mr. Worrell, for the initiated, is keyboard player supreme for George Clinton/Parliament/Bootsy, et. al., and he was being picked up by the daughter of one of the leaders of The Meters (a/k/a The Funky Meters). As it turned out, Mr. Worrell was playing with Lou from the Meters and the rhythm section from Living Colour in one of the funkiest sets of the first weekend. I looked forward to that set.
The rest of the day was spent walking around the area near the hotel, but it was a bit of a downer to see a bus parked near the hotel for the Bullshit Express, I mean the “Straight Talk Express.” It turns out that neo-con, neo-fascist Presidential hopeful John McCain was in town on Thursday to promote more bullshit. Fortunately, it was the only time I saw the bus, and we were able to stay far away from anywhere the Arizona Senator was scheduled to be that day.
Last Thursday, we took the Indignant Daughter to the New Orleans Zoo, which was a very nice zoo. We had a beautiful warm sunny day and TID had a great time.
Friday was our first day at the Festival. We arrived early and listened a bit to a gospel group called The Voices of Distinction. I must admit that I was confused when I saw a band called The Figs playing first thing in the morning, but this group was a five member female bluegrass group not The Figgs, the rock band that often backed my friend Graham Parker.
The Indignant Daughter wanted to play, so we spent much time at the play area when she played with cars, cooked pretend meals, and just had a great time. She had such a great time that we had a hard time getting her to leave. We were able to hear a bit of groups playing on the nearby Gentilly Stage: “Vivaz!” was a band that sounded okay but didn’t make a big impression. The Iguanas I have heard numerous times, and they sounded great again. I was able to hear some of the set while TID and TIW were watching a puppet show in the Kids’ Tent.
As the small girl began to tire out, we headed toward the biggest Acura Stage where we heard the ethereal Alison Krauss and Robert Plant set. It was very interesting, building on their Raising Sand CD with some of Ms. Krause’s best songs, a few totally reworked Led Zeppelin songs, and one song from the CD’s producer T-Bone Burnett. I almost wish that there had been time for Mr. Burnett to have a few more songs, but that is the one problem with festivals – shorter sets in limited time frames. At the same time, we were able to hear some of Leo’s Rare Funk Gathering, the band with Bernie Worrell. I was even more pleased to learn that the set was one of the performers being recorded for sale at the Jazz Fest Live tent. I purchased it immediately. We were all tired and not very interested in Sheryl Crow, so we called it a day.
The weather forecast called for rain on Saturday, so we planned to spend a good portion of it at the local aquarium. I was very impressed by the large exhibits with so many different types of fish. The Indignant Daughter had a great time. Unfortunately, the Indignant Wife wanted boiled crawfish, and we had been told of a place at Iberville and Bourbon Streets which was on the way back toward the hotel. Obviously thinking that boiled crawfish would be available anywhere, she led us on a modern version of the Bataan Death March deeper into the Quarter. Our daughter tired and fell asleep, leaving us to carry her for blocks looking for boiled crawfish, until we finally started heading back to the original restaurant, but then the heaven’s opened. So, we ducked into a café (bars were too loud), and we sat for almost two hours drinking soda and holding a sleeping child. Once the nap ended, we had an early dinner at a restaurant that my wife and I had gone to before, the Gumbo Shop and had another wonderful dinner before trudging along in the pouring rain back to the hotel.
As it turned out, late performers at the Jazz Fest including Billy Joel had to cut their sets short due to the heavy rain Saturday night. Things weren’t supposed to be much better for Sunday, but we went out to the Festival anyway. After sitting through a local school performing skits and singing to the delight of the Indignant Daughter, we ended up in the Harmony Tent where we heard some real live New Orleans jazz music. Tim Laughlin had a good band playing, but perhaps the best band of the festival for us (at least in terms of being surprised, was a band led by trumpeter Leroy Jones. Jones and his “New Orleans Finest” hadn’t been able to play frequently since Katrina as many of the members were still living far from the Crescent City, but they were all together Sunday, playing terrific traditional jazz standards. They had a large captive audience too because, once again, the heavens opened and rain poured down hard. Unlike Saturday however, the deluge lasted about 45 minutes instead of all day. I would have loved to see Irma Thomas on the Acura Stage at 3:40; the rain was still coming down.
The rain stopped, and TIW led us on another wild goose chase, this time for beniuts which could only be found at the far southwestern corner of the race track, and I wanted to be at the Gentilly Stage at the other end of the grounds as to not miss a second of one of my all-time favorites, Elvis Costello, playing with his usual band and accompanied by Allen Toussaint. Fortunately, they started almost 10 minutes late, which allowed us to make it to the stage and get a place to stand just in time. And we did so in spite of the daughter making sure to wade in every puddle she encountered on the outgoing and return trips.
Elvis was great, as usual, playing a number of songs from the fine, mostly overlooked 2007 CD “The River in Reverse” which he made with Mr. Toussaint. A fine addition to the sound was the addition of the Memphis Horns with the trombonist taking several solos to good effect. By this time, the Indignant Daughter was tired and ready to return to the hotel, so we missed the last 40 minutes or so of the set, but we weren’t finished with Elvis on this trip.
The next day, we were headed home when I saw a very tall, lanky man waiting for the flight from New Orleans to O’Hare Airport. The man thought that he recognized me as a fellow musician, but wasn’t disappointed when I said hello to Pete Thomas, drummer with the Attractions, and Elvis’ current group, the Imposters. There was another man sitting with Mr. Thomas, and he looked like Elvis in his “Mighty Like A Rose” period – long hair, thick mustache and beard. It was Steve Nieve, keyboardist extraordinaire. I got into a very nice conversation with Mr. Thomas; the musicians and their assistants were headed to Ottawa to prepare for the start of their tour opening for The Police. I told them that I tried to see them as often as possible, but I wasn’t going to waste time watching a short set of Elvis and then the Police come out to play all of their old hits for large sums of money. I told them that I would much rather see EC and the band as headliners, preferably in a smaller arena.
So, we had a great time in The Big Easy, which was why I have been away from you all for the past few days. With Randy Newman and Richard Thompson playing the Jazz Festival this weekend, I wish I could be there for those sets (and no recordings of their sets available for sale, dammit). I have missed writing for you, but I didn’t bring a computer with me, and needed a rest. So, now I’m back.

This weekend, I will be out of town, but The Indignant Wife asked if I needed to be close to a television this weekend for the NFL Draft, and I told her “no.” There is just one interesting player in this year’s draft; there is no “marquee quarterback” or big name players. There are a lot of good ones; perhaps great ones; but no huge names.
The Dolphins and Bill Parsells have taken the mystery out of the first overall pick by coming to terms on a deal with University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long. Long is a behemoth, a player that you can build an offensive line around, but he plays a non-skill position. The best quarterback is Boston College’s Matt Ryan, who is said to be very mature in the pocket, but he does not possess a big arm. The next few QBs all have issues: are small; or played at small colleges; or have weak arms or may not have the head for the pro game. Among them are Brian Brohm from Louisville; Delaware’s Joe Flacco (I want to make a pun with his name, but this is not an NC-17 website); Michigan’s Chad Henne; Andre Woodson from Kentucky; and John David booty from USC (another opportunity wasted, alas).
The wide receiver crop is small and undignified. There are no great tight ends. The only skill position with depth is running back, and we have seen a great devaluation of the running back position over the past few years. Teams are finding that if you have a great line, all you really need are a couple of decent backs and you will be fine. Look at the black hole Edgerin James’ career entered when he left Indianapolis for Arizona. And for several years, the Denver Broncos have lined up any number of backs behind their line a rushed for 1,000 yards or more.
The most interesting player is running back Darren McFadden. Some have him listed as the second best back due to perceived immaturity issues but to me, he is this year’s Adrian Peterson and any team in the top 10 that needs a running back and passes on this kid is going to be sorry. He has big play speed, great strength, and could be a top back in the league as a rookie. As I stated, some people put Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart ahead of McFadden, and he may become a good back, but I think McFadden is the real deal. Locally, it will be interesting where Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall ends up.
Another reason for my indifference is that there is only one player from my alma mater northwestern who is eligible: Dylan Thiry, a three-year starter at tackle who is projected to be an undrafted free agent according to SI.com. So, overall, I’ll be hanging around New Orleans this weekend, drinking rum drinks and eating Creole food, and if I happen to be near a television, I may check on McFadden and will be interested in what the Bears do, but otherwise, ho hum.